


Bone Deep

by NamelesslyNightlock



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Declarations Of Love, Established Relationship, Idiots in Love, Kissing, Loki (Marvel) Feels, M/M, Misunderstandings, Sass, Tentacles, Tony Feels, so much sass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 21:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17774912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NamelesslyNightlock/pseuds/NamelesslyNightlock
Summary: Tony doesn’t care that Loki is different– he doesn’t care that he has too many limbs, or that he lives in the depths of the ocean. Tony only cares that he isLoki, and he’ll prove just how deep that care goes even if it’s the last thing he’ll ever do.





	Bone Deep

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rabentochter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Reconsquideration](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17626802) by [Rabentochter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rabentochter/pseuds/Rabentochter). 



> …I can’t believe I’ve written a fic about tentacles. I have been corrupted, goddamn it.  
>   
> Anyway.  
>   
> This was inspired by _Reconsquideration_ – a bit of a ‘what if that first admission didn’t go quite so well,’ sort of thing. Part of it was also inspired by a conversation with **STARSdidathing** last week so, credit there too!  
>   
> So, Happy Valentine’s Day Sesil, my awesome platonic _friend!_ I want you to know– if I were an octopus, every one of my three hearts would beat solely for you 😘  
>   
> I hope you like your gift for the secret valentine. It’s your favourite recipe– a little bit of pain, a little bit of sweetness, and a whole load of tentacles.  
>   
> 

Tony was colder than he had ever been, chilled right down to the bone, his fingers so numb that he struggled with the rope on the anchor. He probably should have worn gloves, but he had been in such a hurry to leave that he hadn’t thought to dress appropriately. Slacks and a button down were fine for a California spring while on land, but out on the ocean at eleven o’clock at night? He probably should have at least grabbed a raincoat or, or something.

The boat was rented– Tony didn’t own one himself, since he’d sold his yacht after Afghanistan. It was a small thing, metal and tiny, entirely exposed and with only the one outboard motor. It certainly wasn’t designed to be this far out on open water– the waves sloshed over the side intermittently despite the fair weather. But it had been the first thing he could get hold of in the middle of the night, and he had been in a hurry, worried that maybe, he would be too late—

And maybe he was. Maybe he would die out here, in the middle of the ocean—

A possibility that started to look all the more real when the rope slipped through his frozen fingers and he was forced to watch the anchor sink down into the depths, rope and all.

Goddamn it.

He hadn’t quite planned to go this far– but then, he hadn’t really made a plan at all. He truly was pathetic, and if he _did_ die out in the ocean he knew Pepper would search for as long as it took to find his corpse, if only so she could kill him all over again.

But, back in his mansion, in the moment after Tony had ruined everything– it had only taken half a second for Tony to realise the mistake that he had made, to grab his wallet and a spare reactor and charge out of the house and toward the ocean like a bat out of hell.

_Holy shit._

_What_ are _you?_

He shouldn’t have demanded to know, because it didn’t matter what he was, of course it didn’t– and Tony was willing to risk _everything_ to make sure Loki knew that.

To make sure Loki understood, if nothing else, that Tony had never meant to hurt him, that his harsh tone of voice had been due to _shock_ rather than horror.

He needed to make sure that Loki knew Tony still _cared,_ still loved him with every bone in his body.

In order to have even the slightest possibility of gaining that chance, Tony knew he was willing to stay out on the stupid little boat for as long as it took.

The hours passed slowly, and as Tony lay down on the uncomfortable, grimy bottom of the boat the soothing motion of the waves almost rocked him to sleep, even though he was still being sprayed with cold, salty water every now and then as a breaker hit the side. A few hours in he heard the soft beat of wings overhead, and worried for a moment that he might have drifted too close to the land.

After all, Loki probably wouldn’t be anywhere _near_ land, he probably wanted to get as far away from humans as he possibly could.

Tony couldn’t really blame him for that.

In fact, other than the stars shining in the sky and the dim glare of LA in the distance, the only light Tony could see as he leaned over the edge of the boat was the blue glow shining below, bobbing around occasionally with sharp motions as things bumped into it. He told himself that it would only be fish, nothing bigger or more dangerous than that. After all, he’d predicted that his makeshift beacon would probably attract sea animals– Tony had heard they liked light. Wasn’t that why angler-fish had that dangly thing? _Finding Nemo_ certainly seemed to think so—

Ugh. He really _didn’t_ need to be thinking about those sharp teeth right in that moment. Nope.

Anyway.

There was only one particular deep dwelling creature that Tony was hoping to attract, and he just prayed that the light would be enough to draw him in like it always had.

He stayed with his chin hooked over the gunwale then, too sluggish to try and move. The bottom of the boat was beginning to slosh a little anyway, and it smelt like the inside of DUM-E’s gearbox, the water tainted with a small leakage from the motor. It wasn’t enough to cause concern, but the smell still burned in his nostrils.

And besides—

He was just so very, very cold.

Tony didn’t know how long he sat there, his back beginning to ache, his face stinging with salt, his bones rattling hard as his body fought to deal with the temperature. It could have been hours, it could have been days, his absent gaze simply tracing constellations and counting waves as his mind echoed with a single name.

He didn’t notice, at first, when the waves broke their pattern– when instead of the next crest there was a twist of black hair in the water, and then green eyes that almost seemed to glow in the blue light. And _then_ Tony couldn’t help but stare– because even though the water was dark, the light of the reactor below the boat perfectly silhouetted the eight swirling tentacles against the deep blue of the sea.

“What are you doing?” The words were harsh and cutting, and despite the dim lighting, Tony saw Loki’s sharp teeth flash as he bared them in Tony’s direction. “I told you to leave me alone.”

“You know,” Tony whispered, forcing the words between chattering teeth. “You never actually gave me the chance to _say_ anything—”

“I didn’t need to hear it,” Loki snapped. “I did not need to _hear_ you say how repulsive you find me, when the truth was written all over your face!”

“That’s not—”

“No. Go back to the other humans, Anthony. I will _not_ allow you to waste any more of my time with your empty promises.”

He turned gracefully in the water with a twist of his tentacles, the eight limbs disrupting the waves and causing water to slosh over the side of the boat in a torrent. Tony didn’t care– he only cared that Loki was turning away, was ducking his head under the waves with the intention of _leaving—_

“No, wait—” Tony reached out, stretching, trying to touch Loki’s shoulder in a final, desperate bid—

Loki turned with a growl but froze when he saw what Tony was doing—

“Do not—” Loki snapped, but the warning came too late—

And Tony fell head over arse into the water, landing with a horrible splash.

The ocean was like ice, biting and cutting and frozen. He gasped in shock at the cold and then choked as water gurgled down his throat. Through the murkiness and bubbles he could see a patch of light—

The sun? No, it was night, so the moon maybe—

Either way, that _had_ to be the surface, so he tried for it, but he must have gone too deep because it was so far away, and his strokes became more and more desperate—

He was drowning, drowning all over again—

And then something wrapped around his waist, pulling him up, away from the light and toward the dark sky—

Tony gasped as his head broke the surface, clinging to the body in front of him and drawing in as much precious oxygen as he could. He felt like jelly, like nothing, like too much at once, and he simply held on to the only thing that was grounding him. He pressed his face to wet skin and _breathed_ , smelling salt and seaweed and _Loki_ —

“Oh,” Tony groaned, his teeth chattering so hard now he almost bit his tongue as he spoke. “Fuck– _cold_.”

The boat was already some yards away and rapidly being pulled further, the waves carrying it a lot faster than Tony would have thought. But he found it difficult to bring himself to care– he merely gripped Loki’s shoulders and held on tight, trusting the cecaelia to keep them both afloat.

“I need to get you back to land,” Loki snarled, his hands solid and comforting on Tony’s waist despite his harsh tone. “You foolish, moronic—”

“Hey,” Tony slurred, letting himself slump against Loki’s shoulder, not caring about the strange feeling of having a large tentacle brush past his leg. “That’s not very nice.”

“You _fool_ ,” Loki said again, and Tony’s very last thought before the darkness overtook him was that he didn’t think that the word had been directed at him.

—🐙—

When Tony woke up, it was to a bright sunrise, a bit of seaweed stuck to his chin, and half a beach’s worth of sand in his mouth. He rolled over immediately to try and clear it, spiting even though his mouth was dry and wiping at his face with his sleeve, only to get even _more_ sand in every place imaginable. He was so preoccupied with it that he _almost_ missed the movement beside him—

Almost.

He turned his head back around again to see Loki sitting some yards away, his two, human legs crossed below him on the sand, looking entirely too put together and far too _normal_ considering everything that had happened the night before. He was turning the arc reactor over in his hands, the spare that Tony had tied to trail in the water under the boat in the hopes that Loki would see it and know who he was. For a moment, he wondered when Loki had managed to retrieve it, but dismissed the thought in favour of simply staring.

Loki had always loved his arc reactor, had touched it gently while they were curled together in bed, had pressed kisses to it and called it beautiful for the way it kept Tony alive. And Tony had always let him do it, softened by the way Loki’s actions made him feel treasured. He and Loki had trusted each other _that much_ —

But they hadn’t really, had they? Because Tony had responded to Loki’s admission with immediate demands for information, and Loki had responded to Tony’s questions by running away.

And now here they were, both still hiding even as they sat opposite each other on this godforsaken beach who knew how far from home. Somehow, with his blank expression, tense posture, and human guise, Loki was more distant now than he had ever seemed to be.

But. The indents in the sand and the movement Tony had felt suggested that Loki had spent the night at Tony’s side, protecting him and keeping him warm– and surely, _surely_ , Loki wouldn’t have done that if he did not care.

Swallowing hard to try and clear his throat, Tony said the only thing he thought he could in that moment.

“Thank you. For saving me.”

Loki, unfortunately, did not look moved.

“You still have yet to explain _why_ you were floating so far from the shore,” Loki snapped. “I tracked you for miles, and even after your engine turned off, you did not try to turn around. Why not?”

“I couldn’t,” Tony whispered, but before he could say anything else, Loki continued.

“Of course you could have! You realise that your engine still had oil in it?” Loki asked. “If you believed yourself stranded, then you are not the genius you told me you were.”

 _Oil_. Tony remembered the first time he heard Loki use that term to refer to gasoline during one of his uncountable visits to Tony’s workshop, and how Tony hadn’t quite managed to believe that Loki hadn’t ever seen it before. Of course, now Tony realised that Loki had only recognised the gasoline in terms of its similarity to the oil that was all too often spilled across the surface of the ocean.

“I know,” Tony replied, his voice hoarse. The sand crunched uncomfortably between his teeth, and he pulled himself over to where the ocean was breaking gently against the beach to clean it out. The water seemed so peaceful, so harmless and beautiful, yet Tony had lived on the coast long enough to know that it could change in less than a second.

The salt burned his mouth and reminded him of how long it had been since his last glass of water, but he didn’t care, just glad to be rid of that awful scratch against his teeth every time he moved his jaw.

“If you knew,” Loki said when Tony was done, his voice shaking with impatience. “Then _why_ did you not go home? There was no need for you to almost—”

“I _couldn’t_ ,” Tony stressed again, raising his voice and pinning Loki with enough of a glare that the other man finally fell silent. “I couldn’t go back, okay? At least, not until I’d found you.”

Loki blinked, his fingers stilling where they had been angrily – or, perhaps, _nervously_ – twisting the arc reactor. “Why?”

“Because I needed to say that I’m sorry,” Tony said. Loki’s green eyes tracked his movement as Tony stood and stepped toward him, his expression wary as Tony approached– but Tony knew better than to get too close, and he could see that Loki was just one wrong word from running away again. So he sat in the sand a yard or so away, enough so they could both be comfortable. “And,” he continued, “I wanted to say everything that I should have, straight away, the very moment that you showed me what you are.”

“What…” Loki licked his lips in a gesture that was _definitely_ nervous. “What was it that you wanted to say?”

“I shouldn’t have asked you what you were, or why you’d decided to talk to me. I know that I shouldn’t have, okay? But—”

“No,” Loki muttered, glancing away and almost looking _disappointed._ “You shouldn’t have, but you _did—_ ”

“And I’m apologising—”

“There’s no need! You’re just like all the other humans– curious about things you don’t understand, needing to look and _touch_ until your greedy hands just _ruin_ everything—"

“If you hate me so much,” Tony said, breaking in cautiously. “Then why are _you_ still here?”

Loki’s eyes widened. “Well, I—”

“You could have left the moment I was on shore,” Tony pointed out. “It’s warm enough here, out of the wind– I would have been fine. Even if you were still concerned, you could have simply swum away the moment I woke up. You had the time, but you _didn’t_. And even now, you’re still here.”

“Maybe I’m just enjoying the argument,” Loki suggested. “Or maybe I’m waiting for the perfect moment to drag you down to the depths, strangle you with my terrifying tentacles and eat you for supper with my other sea monster friends.” Loki stared at him then as if waiting for Tony to run away screaming, but Tony merely shook his head.

“I don’t think they’re terrifying.”

Loki blinked, taken aback. “What?”

“Your tentacles.” Tony shrugged. “I don’t think they’re terrifying. I think they’re pretty awesome, actually.”

Loki still looked confused. “Pretty awesome?” He echoed.

“Yeah,” Tony said, nodding seriously. “And fairly gorgeous as well, if I’m being totally honest.”

“Oh please.” Loki turned his nose up into the air, and Tony did a little internal cheer of triumph. “My tentacles are _exceptionally_ gorgeous at the very least.”

“Yeah, they are,” Tony agreed again, his voice soft. “I’m sorry that I hesitated, that the first thing out of my mouth wasn’t something about how amazing you are. It should have been, because _fuck,_ Lokes, you’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

“Even though I’m only half a person?” Loki asked shrewdly, and Tony _glared_.

“Don’t even,” he said. “Don’t say stuff like that. You called yourself a monster earlier but you’re _not_ , okay? And I’m so, so sorry that I ever made you believe that I think you are.”

Loki expression softened, something tender making it’s way into his gaze– and Tony half wondered if he’d just been given a test. Then Loki swallowed and looked away, breaking the moment.

“I acted like an asshole,” Tony said, letting his gaze linger over Loki’s form. He was wearing an outfit Tony had seen a hundred times, dark trousers, a dark green wrap shirt, and a sleeveless brown coat. He looked as impossibly attractive as always, but… at the same time, Tony felt something of a loss.

“I suppose,” Loki drawled, turning back with a smirk– and it wasn’t his sharp, biting smirk, it was the soft mischievous one that made Tony’s insides warm to see. _That_ was still the Loki he had fallen in love with right down to his bones, and it made him think that maybe they’d be okay, after all. “You’ll just have to make it up to me.”

Tony raised his brows. “Surely I get some points for chasing after you?”

“No,” Loki said immediately.

“But it was romantic!”

“It was idiotic,” Loki corrected. “If I had not been in the area, you would have died.”

“Yeah, but you _were_ in the area, though,” Tony said, offering Loki a soft smile. “And also, come on. You can’t put all the blame on me, you’re the one that ran away—”

“ _Swam_ away, thank you,” Loki cut in. “And had you possessed an _ounce_ of tact—”

“Yeah that’s on me,” Tony allowed. “But you did spring this all on me pretty suddenly, after hiding who you are for all this time—”

“For good reason, apparently,” Loki pointed out.

“I think I should have at least been allowed a _moment_ to compose myself. It’s not every day your boyfriend’s legs turn into tentacles—”

“You were staring,” Loki interrupted. “And not in a good way. I was worried you might decide to turn me into that sushi you are so fond of.”

“God, you’re so dramatic,” Tony said fondly, feeling his lips stretch into a grin. Then he paused. “Oh, that totally explains why you wouldn’t eat the takoyaki with me, though.”

“It’s hard to knowingly eat tentacles when you own some yourself,” Loki explained, his famous eye roll making an appearance.

“I thought you were just allergic to shellfish, or something,” Tony said. “But, yeah. That makes sense.”

Loki looked at him oddly. “You’ve seen me eat oysters,” he said blandly. “You’ve _fed me_ oysters.”

“Oh,” Tony said. “Oh yeah.”

Loki stared at him for a moment longer, tilting his head curiously. “You… really don’t mind,” he said. “You are joking about it, and you haven’t flinched once.”

“I really don’t,” Tony agreed. “In fact…” Taking a calculated risk, Tony leaned forward and brushed his fingers along Loki’s cheekbone. “If you’re comfortable with it, I’d like to see the real you again. And not because I’m curious, or because I want to try something different, or whatever you’re thinking. I just want to see _you._ ”

“I didn’t hide the real me,” Loki said. “I hid my true form, but I am still _me_.”

Tony smiled. “I know.”

Loki considered him for a moment longer, those bright green eyes burning fiercely, and Tony’s skin prickled. Tony didn’t know what Loki was looking for, so he waited, and hoped that Loki found it.

And after a moment, Loki sighed.

“Very well,” Loki whispered. “But, first…”

Tony’s breath was stolen as Loki kissed him, pulling Tony close and sliding their mouths together. And Loki kissed with desperate abandon, like maybe he thought it was his last chance– so Tony kissed back with every ounce of passion he knew, hoping he could persuade Loki that he really was there to stay, that he really did want Loki for who he was, not just who he pretended to be.

They were both breathing heavily when they pulled back, and Tony pressed their foreheads together with a smile.

“Not bad for a greedy little human, huh?” he asked.

“I did not mean that,” Loki said. “I apologise. You are not like the rest of them– you are clever, and kind, although your height is decidedly—”

“You know, you really _are_ being mean to me today,” Tony grumbled. “You started off well, but _then—_ ”

“Enough,” Loki said, pushing Tony away slightly. “You wanted to see what I look like.”

Tony had been expecting that Loki would go back to the water for his demonstration, but he didn’t. He remained on the sand as his form began to change– and Tony had seen it once before, so now that he knew mostly what to expect he could push past the shock and focus on the beautiful, inky black tentacles that unfurled before his eyes.

Loki had haltingly explained last time that cecaelia were able to shape-shift, and that Loki was one of the more proficient at it than the rest of his kind, capable of not only changing his shape but also his physiology so that he could walk comfortably on land for extended periods of time.

Once he was finished, Loki stared at Tony with a confident expression that was tinged only slightly with doubt—

And Tony threw himself forward without the slightest hesitation, sliding between Loki’s front-most tentacles to wrap his arms back around Loki’s shoulders and press their lips together once more. The force of his movement threw them both back on to the sand, but neither could bring themselves to care. This kiss was slow and languid, and Loki whined into Tony’s mouth as his arms wrapped around Tony’s waist, pulling Tony tight against him. Tony had one hand in the sand to steady himself and one in Loki’s hair, and he was so lost in the kiss that he almost didn’t notice as Loki’s tentacles curled around his legs. They felt slimy and smooth and strange but they were still _Loki_ , and Tony merely melted into the touch, pressing as close to Loki as he could. And when Loki pulled back and looked at him with awe, Tony merely smiled and dotted a kiss to his nose.

“How can you still look at me like that?” Loki whispered. “As if nothing has changed—”

“Because nothing _has_ ,” Tony said. “It’s like you said– you’re still Loki, and I love you. I don’t care what skin you prefer to wear, or how many legs you’ve got. I won’t even complain if your breath smells like oysters—”

“Anthony—”

“You’re right, I would probably complain a little,” Tony corrected, and he couldn’t hide his smile when Loki rolled his eyes. “Hey, stop it. I’m trying to be sweet, and you’re ruining the moment—”

“ _I_ am ruining it?” Loki asked in surprise. “Please. The moment was ruined the second you referred to my tentacles as _legs_.” He glanced down between them as if examining Tony’s feet, even though that would be impossible given how tightly they were pressed together. “It’s insulting,” Loki finished.

“Aw, come on,” Tony said, nudging at Loki’s cheek with his nose. “You loved it.”

When they kissed again, it was a mess of hands and tongues and teeth, bruises and bites and strokes of limbs.

“I do love you, Anthony,” Loki said between kisses, every part of him caressing all along Tony’s body as if now that he was allowed to use his tentacles to touch, he was planning to touch as much of Tony as he could. “It goes against all logic, but I do.”

“Well, I’ve never been one for following logic,” Tony said. “I prefer to balance my own odds.”

Tony wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, but there was a shove and a twist and then he was on his back, Loki leaning over him with a bright smirk and a mischievous spark in his eyes.

“I think you played the odds quite well,” Loki said, his voice low.

“Yeah, I think I did too.” Tony swallowed, tilting up his chin so he could see Loki properly. “What about you? Are you happy?”

Loki hummed softly, kissing him again. Then he smiled sweetly and said, “I’d say you’re at least a decent consolation prize.”

Tony laughed, though more from the pleasure of seeing Loki’s honest smile than the jest. “Oh,” he said. “That’s how it is, is it?”

“Yes,” Loki said– but his voice was soft, all traces of teasing gone. “Yes, it is.”

And _hopefully_ , Tony thought, it would stay that way for a very long time– him and Loki, together. They’d most likely have a long hard slog ahead of them, and Tony knew it wouldn’t be entirely easy.

But that was a problem for the future.

For now, Tony couldn’t help but think of all the _fun_ they could have. After all– Loki’s tentacles were bound to be both far more versatile and more comfortable than any kind of man-made restraint– the way they were already curling around his wrists was evidence enough of that. The possibilities were endless, there were so many things to explore– and as far as Tony could tell, they had their little island entirely to themselves.

They might as well make use of it.

**Author's Note:**

>  **BONUS:**  
>   
>  “Oh, shit,” Tony groaned, staring out at the large stretch of water and realising just how far the mainland was. “Please don’t tell me I’m going to have to swim—”  
>   
> “Your boat is around the corner,” Loki said.  
>   
> Tony blinked. “Sorry, it’s what now?”  
>   
> “You didn’t think I _carried_ you all the way here, did you?” Loki snorted. “I’m not the Little Mermaid.”  
>   
> “But then you _hid_ my boat?”  
>   
> Loki smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to be able to leave before we could talk.”  
>   
> Tony rolled his eyes for the show of it, but he couldn’t quite hide his smile. Typical, that Loki would run from a conversation and then act to stop Tony from having the option of the same. Loki was liar and a hypocrite, but he was _Tony’s_ – and tentacles or not, that was all that really mattered.  
> 


End file.
